Tag: Photography

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Let Go of Comparison by Otto von Münchow

Remember what Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: “Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain.”

Throughout our lives, forces can push us toward or away from reaching our creative potential: a teacher’s compliment, a parent’s tolerance for tinkering, or an environment that welcomes new ideas. What matters most in the end, though, is this: your belief in your capacity to creative positive change and the courage to take action. Creativity, far from requiring rare gifts and skills, depends on what you believe what you can do with the talents and skills you already have. And you can develop and build on those skills, talents, and beliefs. After all, Hungarian essayist György Konrád once said, “Courage is only accumulation of small steps.”

I started my photography journey in 1987 with a college course that included developing prints in a dark room (anyone remembers those?). I switched to digital in 1999, shooting on a Sony DSC-S70 point-and-shoot. I bought my first DSLR in 2006.

I have been working at this craft for over thirty years and though I can see that my skills have improved, I am just not happy with the results.

I often feel inadequate when I compare myself to other photographers such as David Cleland, Patrick LaRoque and Olaf himself. I know it’s a destructive and discouraging habit. Somewhere in the back of my mind, there is a voice saying “You’ve been at this for a long time. Why are you stil producing this crap?”.

Olaf’s blog post left me with much to ponder. I shall be doing some intense introspection this week to find ways to slay this “monster”.